


Feeling You

by secretfanboy



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Blind Derek, Deaf Derek Hale, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sterek Campaign Teen Wolf Charity Project
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-24
Updated: 2014-03-24
Packaged: 2018-01-16 19:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1359679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretfanboy/pseuds/secretfanboy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Derek loses his sight and hearing saving Scott from an attack, the Stilinski's take him in.  As nurse and patient Stiles and Derek grow closer, but what will happen when Derek gets better?  Will Stiles be left with a broken heart?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Feeling You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lyvanna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyvanna/gifts).



> This work was commissioned by the lovely [lyvanna](http://lyvanna.tumblr.com/) who requested that Derek lose one of his senses and Stiles help him out with it. Being that conflict is the source of all drama I thought 'Just one of his senses? Ha!' It was supposed to only be 2000 words, but I couldn't do her great prompt justice without expanding on it so it ended up more like 6000 words. I hope everyone enjoys it.
> 
> This fic is post-season 3, but there are people alive in this story that are no longer alive in canon.

Sure, he was covered in demon blood, but Stiles was feeling pretty good about himself despite Lydia barely recognizing that he had just saved her ass without any werewolf assistance. This wasn't a "distract until Scott or Derek could show up and save the day", this was a full-on Stiles save and he deserved some damn props.

The strawberry blond one was not being forthcoming.

Stiles decided that if he couldn't get his props from Lydia that he'd get them from the other team. He texted them:

[Woot! Team Stiles does it solo over here!]

There was no response. Lydia complained to him about her blouse getting covered in muck. Like he was the one who captured her. He sent another text:

[Vanquished the demon, freed the tree spirit & saved Lydia yet getting no love over here.]

Still no response. Stiles was in the process of composing a third text, when a text arrived from Isaac:

[Derek is down]

Derek is down? What did they mean Derek is down? Stiles started sending Isaac text after text asking for clarification, each more urgent than the last, but he got no reply. He tried texting Scott, but still got no reply. He quickly pulled off his bloody shirt and put on a fresh one that he now always kept in his jeep and raced over to the veterinary clinic.

Derek's car was haphazardly parked near the front of the clinic. Stiles tried the front door, but it was locked. He went around to the back not waiting for someone to open for him. It was unlocked so he rushed his way in.

Derek was lying on the metal table with compresses and ice packs wrapped around his head. He was shirtless and bloody, not an unusual condition for Derek, and he seemed to be breathing. Scott was standing off to the side and Isaac was sitting on the counter.

"You're here! Why didn't you tell me you were here?"

"We were busy hauling Derek here," said Scott.

"Why didn't you text me back!?!"

"We've been kind of in the middle of something," replied Isaac with an eye roll.

"You should have told me you were here, I should be here for this!"

"Why?" asked Scott, looking genuinely confused why Stiles should be concerned with Derek's wellbeing.

"Because I'm part of this pack!" yelled Stiles 'causing Isaac and Scott to both flinch back. Deaton only raised an eyebrow and did that annoying half-smile thing of his.

It was only then that Stiles noticed that his hand was gripping Derek's arm which was tensing with little spasms.

Too furious to even look at Scott or Isaac, Stiles addressed Deaton directly across the table. "What happened to him?"

"Derek was hit in the head with some kind of projectile weapon," said Deaton. "There was definitely some wolvesbane involved and some others substances I haven't figured out yet. He'd heal from regular burns, but I'm not sure of the source of all of the damage the weapon inflicted."

"He pushed Scott out of the way and took the hit," said Isaac.

Stiles cut him off. "You don't have time for me remember? You two go back to sending love texts to Allison."

Stiles didn't bother to watch the effects of his verbal slap. He just turned to Deaton and said "What can I do to help?"

Deaton gave him a warm smile and said "Right now you can be here for him."

"That I can do," said Stiles and he pulled over a stool and plopped himself onto it, not taking his hand off of Derek's forearm.

An hour later Stiles' head was resting against the table, cushioned by his own forearm when Derek began to stir. He got up to look around, finding that he was the only one still in the room.

"Derek? You okay?"

Derek thrashed upright, sending Stiles flailing backwards. Deaton and Isaac rushed into the room. Derek had ripped the bandages off of his head so Stiles could see the burns. Isaac tried to grab at Derek, but he perceived it as an attack and sent Isaac sprawling.

"Isaac!" shouted Scott, entering the room just in time to dive to Isaac's aid.

"What did you do? Why can't I see?" barked Derek.

"Derek! You're okay!

Derek rubbed at his eyes and pulled at bandages that were no longer covering his ears.

"What have you done to my sight? What have you..."

Derek sniffed the air. He then slowly brought the arm Stiles was holding to his face and inhales. "Stiles?"

His voice was so uncertain and scared that Stiles' heart broke a little bit.

"I'm right here Derek."

"Stiles? Are you here?"

"I don't think he can hear you," said Deaton quietly.

Stiles pulled himself up and stepped toward Derek. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Scott tense up and start to say something, but Stiles silenced him with a glare. He reached out and gently put his hand on Derek's arm.

Derek jumped a bit and his other arm reached out swiftly, capturing Stiles' arm with his other hand. Stiles' heart did a double flip, but then Derek pulled his hand slowly up to his face and inhaled.

"Stiles," said Derek softly with a soft squeeze of his arm.

Stiles stepped up closer to the table and put his other hand on Derek's shoulder.

"Stiles, I can't see and...I think I can't hear either."

Stiles starts to wrack his brain. If Derek was only deaf he could write him notes. He doesn't know Braille and neither does Derek, but...the thought gives him an idea. He took Derek's hand and laid his fingers out flat, then with his own finger he traced out the letters R-E-A-D into Derek's palm.

"Read?" asked Derek.

Stiles traced out Y-E-S.

"Very clever Stiles," said Deaton nodding approvingly. Stiles sometimes doesn't know how this pack would function without him.

Derek began to ask questions and Stiles would answer them. He eventually got Derek to lie back down again so that Deaton could reapply the satchels of herbs to his eyes and ears. Cora was who knows where. Peter was not someone Derek likes to see in his best state, certainly not when he's weak like this. Stiles realized that Derek doesn't have family to take care of him. He doesn't need a blood family though. He has a pack.

Someone called Stiles' father, because the sheriff came in and talked with Scott and Deaton about the hunter-slash-whatevers that Scott and Isaac had just dealt with. Stiles for once wasn't trying to be in the middle of it. Seeing Derek like his, not being strong and protective of everyone else, disturbed him. That was his normal: he cracks wise, comes up with a plan, Derek grumps at him, and then Scott convinces Derek to go along with it. When it doesn't go exactly according to Stiles' brilliant plan, then Derek will do something brave and selfless, and everything is better. That's not what was happening here. Derek did something brave and selfless and now he was hurt and Stiles was worried that he wouldn't be able to take care of himself anymore.

The sheriff came over and laid a hand on Stiles' shoulder.

"Son, it's probably time you start heading home."

"Dad...I was thinking that Derek could stay with us until he gets better?"

"With us?" asked the Sheriff. He pushed his hand through what hair he had left on his head. "Doesn't he have someone else he can stay with?"

Stiles could see all of the doubts and reservations his father had tabulated up into a long list in his head.

"No, dad...he doesn't."

His father fixed his eyes on him. The part of Stiles that was like his mother was coming through in that moment. The nurturing part that cared for him and Scott and anyone else what entered his son's orbit.

"Alright...for now," said the sheriff resignedly. "He can sleep in the guest room."

"Thanks dad," says Stiles with a smile. He hoped his father understood how important it was that he took care of his pack.

Derek was silent on the way back to his house. His eyes and oh, so expressive eyebrows were covered by the bandages so Stiles couldn't fully read his face, though he knew Derek well enough to imagine that his scowl went all the way up. When Stiles took his arm and lead him slowly from the jeep up into the house, his reply was an almost inaudible "thanks".

It was awkward for Stiles not to chatter away at him, but since he couldn't hear him he had to wait until Derek was settled before spelling onto his hand again. After getting to the top of the stairs, Stiles realized a pit stop was probably in order and detoured him into the bathroom. He placed one of Derek's hands on the sink and the other on the toilet. He then spelled 'GIVE YOU SOME PRIVACY' into his hand before closing the door on Derek's quiet "thanks". Stiles felt a little bad smiling as he listened to Derek crash around in there, but everything seemed to be righted when he finally opened the door back up again. Stiles was grateful for him washing up as he will be touching Derek's hands quite a lot.

Stiles started to walk him down to the guest room before he got a brilliant idea and took Derek back to the bathroom and puts his hands on the faucet.

"What are you doing Stiles?" Derek asked.

Stiles then lead Derek along the wall, out the door, and down the hall to the guest room, all the while trailing Derek's hand on the wall.

"Oh...follow that wall to the bathroom," Derek said, answering his own question. "Thanks Stiles."

It looked like the sheriff had already freshened up the room and turned down the bed so Stiles lead Derek over to it and pulled his hand down to it so he'd know it was there. There was a lot Stiles wanted to say to him, but it suddenly dawned on him that Derek might want some time alone. He spelled "GOODNIGHT" into Derek's hand before leaving the room, hearing Derek's faint "good night" as he turned off the light and closed the door.

He's been physically close to Derek before, but always in a life threatening situation. As Stiles lied in his bed waiting for sleep to take him, he thought about the physical closeness he had with Derek as he steered him around blind. He was enjoying the way he was putting his arm around Derek, taking his arm, and steering him around. He also liked the way Derek made his body compliant to Stiles, trusting him to guide him safely. In this moment of weakness, Derek has chosen to trust Stiles and that...that felt really good to him.

Stiles' alarm woke him up way too early the next morning, but he wanted to be sure he was awake when Derek got up. He opened the door to the guest room quietly, but Derek was already awake, sitting on the side of the bed in his underwear. Under normal circumstances, seeing Derek like this would be turning Stiles on. Now though, he just wanted to pull Derek close and keep him safe.

"Stiles?" Derek called softly, his bandaged head moving backwards and forwards as if trying to sense him.

"Can you hear now?" Stiles asked, but he gets no reply.

He walked over to the bed and placed his hand on Derek's shoulder. He startled, but then settled under Stiles' touch.

"You were just smelling me weren't you?" Stiles asked, knowing Derek wouldn't hear him to reply.

Stiles lead him to the bathroom where he sat Derek on the toilet and removed the bandages and the herb satchels from his head. Derek opened his eyes, which still looked red and swollen, and started moving his head around as if tracking something.

"I can see shapes. Outlines..."

"Can you hear me?" asks Stiles. No response. He shouts, "CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

There was no response from Derek, but from down the hall his father yelled "Keep it the hell down out there!"

"Sorry Dad!" Stiles called back.

Derek didn't have his hearing back, but his Dad's was working great.

Derek could see the basic outlines of things. The brighter rooms, the ones with sunlight were easier than the dimmer ones. After breakfast he called Deaton and gave him the update. Deaton created some new satchels that he wanted Derek to wear. When Stiles told Derek to stay there while he ran to Deaton's, Derek insisted on coming. It took longer, but then Deaton got to check out Derek personally and Derek didn't feel alone and vulnerable. Not that Stiles was much defense against anything, but he understood how vulnerable being alone can feel.

Deaton thought that there was perhaps some magic involved keeping Derek from healing completely so he told Stiles he was researching a way to dispel the magic, which Stiles spelled out for Derek. They headed over to Derek's loft and picked up some clothes for him. Stiles asked him if he wanted to grab anything else, but Derek didn't. The only other portable thing Derek had was his books and he couldn't read anyway.

It wasn't until later back at home when they are sitting flush against each other on the couch that Stiles realized how comfortable they were being pressed against each other. Stiles realized they moved together and locked their arms as they left the veterinary clinic without him consciously guiding himself to do so. The idea of them being so easily physically familiar with Derek felt confusing for Stiles, but then the thought of how nice it was to be that way with someone rushed over him. It wasn't something forced, they just sort of fell into it.

Stiles spent the rest of the day teaching Derek how to find his way around the house by himself which became sort of a moot point when by the next day when Derek could see enough to navigate around the house by himself. He couldn't see well enough to read and he was still deaf, so Stiles spent that next day learning and teaching Derek a few words in sign language that were made up of bigger gestures he could make out with his limited vision.

The sheriff actually began to take to Derek quite quickly, despite having been hesitant about having him as a house guest. When Stiles asked him why he keeps smiling at him when he was interacting with Derek, the sheriff just told him that it made him proud to see him caring for others. This pride apparently did not extend to Stiles continuing to miss school so the next day he had to leave Derek alone at the house while he went to school. However he ditched lacrosse practice so he could get right back home to Derek.

It didn't surprise Stiles how he could develop a way of moving with someone as one organism without verbalizing his intent. He and Scott did it all the time. What surprised him was how it felt to be doing that with Derek. Derek was a comrade in arms, a friend, a packmate. That didn't explain how when he did this with Derek it filled him with warmth that started in his heart and spread throughout his body. It also didn't explain how having the side of his body up against Derek's was more thrilling than the two kisses he'd had in his life.

The next day Lydia accosted Stiles as he dumped his history book in his locker after his last class. She told him in no uncertain terms that he was going out for coffee and dessert with her. Stiles spied Aiden trying to watch them unnoticed and wondered how much that had to do with her insistence.

He tried to explain that he needed to get back to Derek, but she insisted that they both needed this. He at least convinced her to let him stop by the house. He found Derek sitting alone in his room, leaning against the open window. He touched Derek's shoulder and then spelled out in his hand his plans with Lydia. Derek nodded, face unmoving. Stiles threw his bag onto his bed that he didn't remember making and ran out to jump into Lydia's car.

The discussion very pointedly did not mention Aiden, but the numerous romantic foibles of Beacon Hills beautiful and popular. Stiles mind kept wandering back to Derek and how he was sitting alone at Stiles' house.

"They're delusional."

"Who's delusional?" asked Stiles.

"George and Ben. They both keep dating Deirdre on and off when they really want to date each other."

"So they're using her as a proxy?"

"Exactly."

Despite how much Stiles could not care less about these people, Lydia's words had some resonance in his mind for some reason, but he was too lost thinking about Derek and the fact that Aiden had now driven past the coffee shop once again to focus on it.

"That's the fifth time Aiden has driven past," Stiles said. "I think that's my cue to go home."

"Five times? Really?" Lydia said feigning lack of interest. "I hadn't noticed."

When Stiles pushed his way through the front door his first impulse was to shout to Derek, but he knew that Derek wouldn't hear him. He went first to his own room and found nothing but his messy bed. He knocked on Derek's room out of habit before entering, but found nothing. Worry became panic as he searched room after room without finding Derek. Once he'd checked every room twice including the closets he ran into the backyard, but found nothing.

He sent an emergency text to Scott and Isaac:

[911. Derek missing. My house NOW.]

It took nearly fifteen minutes before Stiles heard the high pitched whine of Scott's dirt bike. He grabbed Derek's pillow and went down to meet Scott and Isaac.

"We're having a pillow fight?" asked Isaac.

"No, moron, you're tracking Derek."

Scott took the pillow and smelled it, he offered it to Isaac who waved it off.

"I know what he smells like."

Stiles took the spare helmet from Isaac's hands and moved towards the motorbike.

"What are you doing?" asked Isaac.

"Coming along. You can run alongside werewolf."

They followed his trail into the woods. There were a few false starts. Apparently Derek had crossed his own path a couple of times. Stiles thought that maybe he tried to find his way home to the loft, but his trail seemed to indicate that he was trying to find his way to the old Hale house, but was off course. A couple of miles out they finally found him. He wasn't even wearing a jacket and seemed to be trying to feel his way around in the dim light of the forest. As soon as the bike stopped Stiles threw off his helmet and rushed toward Derek and pulled him into a hug. Derek was stiff before he relaxed into the hug. Stiles pulled up his hand and spelled out 'WHY DID YOU LEAVE"

"I didn't want to be a burden," said Derek quietly.

'YOU ARE NOT A BURDEN NEVER A BURDEN' Stiles spelled into Derek's hand with wet eyes. If Scott or Isaac noticed, they didn't say anything.

Once they got back to Stiles' house, Scott and Isaac begged off, which was for the best because Stiles really wanted to be alone with Derek. Stiles took him into his own room and sat Derek down on the bed. He pulled Derek's hand into his lap to write something, but he found himself at a loss for the right words. They just continued to sit there with Stiles holding Derek's hand in his.

The next two days Stiles came home straight from school to again find Derek in his room instead of the guest room. Stiles supposed that he liked his room better because smell was now his strongest sense and it smelled like he and Scott and Isaac, his pack, while Derek's room smelled like musty storage. Stiles would give him minor updates on what was happening with the pack and world events until his finger got tired of spelling or it was time to make dinner. At dinner Stiles noticed how his father's looks toward Derek were becoming more warm and affectionate.

On the third day Stiles got a voicemail in class from Deaton telling him he may have found something. Stiles collected Derek right after school and took him to the vet's. Deaton gave him a packet of satchels with instructions to swap out the packets every hour and a little ritual visualization to do when he did so.

"Shouldn't you do this here?" asked Stiles.

"I think this is within your ability to handle and I believe it would work best if it was done in an environment where Derek feels more comfortable."

Stiles took the packets and Derek home. He set Derek up on his own bed so he could play video games or work on his computer while they did this. Derek was always in his room anyway. Every hour Stiles wetted and placed the satchels on Derek's eyes and ears, holding them in place with gauze. He placed his hands over the satchels and visualized darkness being pulled from Derek's eyes and ears and going into the satchels.

Sometimes in between the application of the satchels Stiles would spell into Derek's hand. Sometimes Stiles would just lean against the bed and work on schoolwork while Derek rested his hand on Stiles shoulder or put his fingers into Stiles' hair. The last two times Stiles replaced the satchels, Derek didn't even wake up. When it was all over around 4am Stiles took the discarded satchels out to the barbeque in the back yard, poured lighter fluid over them, and burned them to dispel the dark magic. He trudged back into the house and didn't even bother getting undressed as he plopped himself onto the bed next to Derek and fell asleep.

The next morning Stiles woke up and it took him a minute to remember that he'd gone to sleep with Derek in his bed. Stiles stumbled, still half asleep to find Derek downstairs cooking breakfast.

"You're cured!?!" Stiles exclaimed. He was feeling pretty proud of himself for working the magic.

Derek turned to him and smiled, but pointed to his ear. "My vision's back, but I still can't hear you."

"Small favors," said the sheriff as he strode into the kitchen behind Stiles.

"Dad!" Stiles exclaimed. Derek looked at the two of them and smiled before turning back.

Derek served them egg white omelets with turkey sausage and Stiles excitedly wrote him notes on the kitchen tablet during breakfast. It was a really great time for Stiles even when the sheriff made jokes to Derek at Stiles' expense.

Derek stood up from the table and placed his dishes in the dishwasher.

"Thanks for everything Sheriff. I guess I'll go collect my things."

The sheriff smiled and nodded and Derek went upstairs.

"So Derek's going home now that he has his sight back?" asked the Sheriff.

"I was going to ask you about that," said Stiles.

"Yeah?"

"It's just that Derek seems to attract trouble when he's alone and a werewolf without his hearing wouldn't know someone was coming up on him."

"So you want me to keep staying with us?"

"Please?"

The Sheriff looked at Stiles appraising him. "Fine, he can stay a while longer until we figure this out."

Stiles hugged his dad tight. Then he went upstairs to tell Derek to stop packing.

"Are you sure?" asked Derek.

Stiles nodded. Then he wrote on his pad "DEFINITELY".

Stiles knew that even before he lost his hearing and sight, what Derek really needed was people that gave a shit about him. Stiles got that, he really did, because more than anything else, Stiles needed people that gave a shit about him too.

Stiles called Deaton after it reached a decent hour for a weekend and told him what happened.

"I was worried something like that might happen. We pulled the darkness from his eyes and now we must pull the silence from his ears."

Deaton assured him he would ask around his network and see what he could find out.

After returning from school the next day, Stiles plopped down in front of where Derek sat reading on the couch. In his hands he held three books on sign language that he'd retrieved from the school library. They were a bit on the old side, but Stiles figured that they wouldn't change much. Derek raised an eyebrow when he showed him the book.

"I can speak Stiles."

Stiles pulled out his phone and texted Derek whose phone buzzed in his back pocket. Derek pulled it out and read the text.

"You're right, I can't hear what _you're_ saying."

Derek searched his face, though Stiles didn't know what for. He seemed to find what he was looking for because he leaned forward and took one of the books from Stiles. They worked through the books together for about an hour before they decided to break in order to make dinner.

When Stiles opened the fridge he definitely found food that he had not purchased. He held up a packet of meat to Derek and did his best to mimic one of Derek's condescending eyebrow glares. Derek returned one in kind.

"It's lamb. Organic. Much healthier than beef."

Stiles harrumphed at that, but Derek took the lamb and started pulling other ingredients out of the fridge. Off of Stiles' look Derek replied "Spaghetti Carbonara" which earned him an Alpha sized scowl from Stiles.

"It may not be healthy, but it's delicious."

Stiles scowled, but Derek ignored him and started to cook. Stiles begrudgingly helped him. The sheriff rolled in about an hour later. Stiles wrote 'Derek's cooking unhealthy food" on a pad and showed it to his father.

"I can see that and I appreciate having delicious food for once. Also...I'm not deaf."

"Sorry," said Stiles. "I've been spending so much time around Derek that I forget to speak sometimes."

"Small miracles."

"Dad!"

The food was delicious. To Stiles, the sheriff looked happier than he'd been in a long time. Stiles taught him the sign for "Thank You" which the sheriff signed at Derek at least three times. Stiles was surprised how warm he felt when his father and Derek shared a smile. Derek insisted on washing the dishes even though the sheriff protested. Stiles did homework and when Derek was done he stopped so they could practice more signing. They stopped to watch the Walking Dead when it came on because it was one of the shows Stiles and his dad shared. Derek couldn't keep the incredulous look off his face. Stiles answered with a questioning eyebrow.

"That's not what zombies are like."

"I don't want to know," answered the sheriff.

Stiles just laughed.

Their days proceeded much like this with Stiles and Derek sitting on opposite ends of the couch, their feet sometimes intertwining. Stiles found that sign language was much easier to learn than the Spanish he had taken as part of his college requirements. It was physical and he found that easier since he talked with his hands already. He just felt more choreographed.

A few days later Deaton called Stiles to let him know he might have something. They were herbs for Derek's ears that he was to apply every night. He also gave him a bottle of sea water collected during the full moon to wet the herb satchels with. A druid in the South of France apparently thought it should help trigger Derek's werewolf healing ability. Derek was sure to wear them every night.

There were so many more things Stiles could do with Derek now that he had his sight back. They could watch movies with captions on, he could write messages, and they could text. When Stiles was at school he texted Derek nearly non-stop. Scott and Isaac would come over to play video games with Stiles. Derek wasn't really into the games, but he played with them anyway. Stiles did get Isaac and Scott to go out on runs with Derek which he did enjoy immensely though he never said it explicitly. It improved his mood so Stiles tried to get them to do it at least every other day.

Scott and Isaac both blew off doing their run with Derek one day so Stiles decided to confront them about it at school the next day. He found them both trying hard not to look at the other.

"What's going on?" he asked Scott.

"Nothing,"

"Isaac?"

"Nothing."

Still weren't looking at each other.

"One of you has started dating Allison again right?"

"It's cool!" Scott exclaimed, then said more quietly, "I don't mind."

Stiles watched their eyes dart toward each other and then turn away.

"Cut the drama, cut out the middleman, and just start having sex with each other."

Scott looked a little confused. Isaac looked horrified.

"Stiles?" asked Scott. "What are you talking about?"

"It was a talk I had with Lydia that made me figure it out. You guys care a lot about each other, but part of why Isaac started dating Allison was that it was another connection to you."

Isaac blanched. Stiles didn't need werewolf hearing to know that Isaac's heart was racing a million miles a minute.

"You two love each other. And because you don't identify as gay or bi or whatever instead of admitting to yourselves how you feel, you put that energy into Allison. But she's not who you love. You love each other."

Scott's crooked jaw was open as far as it could go. Isaac had slunk so far down into his seat he was in danger of falling onto the ground. Both looked scared to look at each other.

Stiles didn't see them at lunch, but Scott sat next to him in the last class they had together that day.

"Stiles...Isaac and I aren't the only ones who might have been ignoring their feelings."

"What do you mean?" asked Stiles, though he was pretty sure he knew where this was going.

"You and Derek? He's different around you. He's different since he started staying with you."

"I haven't been ignoring my feelings Scott," said Stiles quietly because the teacher was starting to begin class. "I have been actively pushing them down because Derek should not have to deal with my crush on top of everything else."

"Have you thought," said Scott. "That you might not be the only one pushing down their feelings?"

Stiles wanted to ask more, but the glare he was receiving from the teacher told him that he'd pushed his luck enough already. When Stiles tried to interrogate Scott before he headed off to his next class, he just smiled and said "I've seen you two together and I've smelled you two together. You're not the only one with feelings here."

In his last class of the day, their teacher reminded them that their history projects were due the next week. When they broke to work on these Lydia was at his desk near instantly.

"We have to have project partners so you and I are working together on this," stated Lydia matter of factly.

"And to what do I owe this honor?"

"That my other option is doing this with Aiden and I'm not in the mood to do the work for two."

Stiles looked over his shoulder to see a very offended Aiden. He did his best to grin apologetically.

"Fine, but we're working at my house. Derek's expecting me home."

Lydia raised an eyebrow to look at Stiles. They'd clearly all been spending too much time with the Hales.

"Fine."

Lydia was waiting in his driveway when Stiles made it home. When they walked in the house Derek was there watching tv with the sound off and the captions on.

'Sorry. Lydia and I have to work on this project for a bit. We can hang out later.' Stiles signed to Derek.

They got to work, discussing what they would focus on and what kind of presentation they would do. Stiles wanted to do some kind of video, but he didn't really want to spend a lot of energy on the production of it. There were a few sticking points that they couldn't agree on and they were both looking through their source material to try and prove the other wrong. Lydia wasn't in the habit of having people question her authority and she was tapping her pen on the table frustrated.

"Lydia? Could you stop with the tapping? It's getting really irritating."

Lydia wasn't looking at her books or her laptop. She was staring at Derek's back. She started tapping even more loudly.

"It is isn't it?"

Lydia picked up a book and threw it, pages fluttering, at the back of Derek's head. He moved out of the before it hit him and turned to shoot Lydia a glare. Then just as quickly his face shifted to one of horrified shock.

Stiles just stared at Derek blankly as several pieces clicked into place in his brain.

"You've got your hearing back? Why didn't you tell me?" asked Stiles genuinely confused.

"This is where I leave," said Lydia, collecting her things.

"Why are you leaving?" asked Stiles.

"Because you're about to have a private conversation that I shouldn't be a part of."

Lydia let herself out. Derek stood up from the couch and looked at Stiles as though he was going to say something, but didn't.

"How long have you had your hearing back?"

"A few days," said Derek.

Stiles walked over to Derek. He and Derek had become so close. It confused and hurt him that Derek would keep something from him.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Derek turned his eyes away from Stiles. It was a few moments before he spoke.

"You taking care of me. Staying here with you and your dad. I haven't felt that way since my family...since I lost them."

Stiles instinctively reached out to grab Derek's arm. When he realized what he had done he started to pull it away, but Derek grabbed his hand and held it. Stiles looked deeply into Derek's searching eyes, but found himself at a loss for words.

"You mean more to me than you realize," said Derek.

"Derek you...you mean a lot to me too. Maybe more than _you_ realize."

Derek closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them and locked onto Stiles gaze.

"You're family to me Stiles.   And I wasn't ready to lose family again so soon."

"You won't lose me..." Stiles started to surge forward, but stopped himself. He realized now was not the time to act on his growing crush on the older man, but Derek pulled him forward and closed the gap. At first the kiss was a little awkward, but eventually their lips found the way they fit together. Eventually they pulled apart and rested their foreheads against each other.

"I've wanted that to happen for a long time," said Stiles.

"Me too."

"Why didn't you ever...?"

"You're eighteen Stiles. I didn't want to drag you down into my life."

Stiles couldn't believe how dumb Derek could be.

"Did you ever consider that I might think of it as you pulling me up?"

And with that he found Derek's lips again.

Derek did move out, but was a presence at more Stilinski dinners than not. When they told the sheriff what their relationship had evolved into he did not seem surprised. He just told them to go slow and be careful.

Scott and Isaac eventually started coming back over to hang out, but now something had changed between the two of them. They didn't make a big deal out of it, but there was never more than a couple of seconds where Scott and Isaac weren't touching.

Behind their back, Derek signed to Stiles 'Is something going on between the two of them?'

Signing had become their way of talking in front of others without being listened in on. Stiles rolled his eyes and smiled before signing back 'You could say something like that.'

'Are they together?' Derek signed at him.

'Yes.'

Derek looked surprised, but smiled.

"It's rude to do that while we're in the room you know," said Scott. "Now c'mon and let's get our Halo on."

Stiles and Derek squished themselves onto the couch together and Stiles didn't even mind that Scott and Isaac used their wolf reflexes to win.

 


End file.
